couponing?

So, call me crazy, but I've decided to try the couponing thing... not the crazy extreme couponing that you see on that tlc tv show, but the kind where you can apparently cut your grocery bills by 30-50%. That makes a huge difference when your grocery bill (granted it was after not going to the grocery for a big "everything trip" for about 5-6 weeks) is $300 for two people.

So, we are subscribing to the Austin American Statesman only on Sundays. Besides getting the 3 big coupon catalogs, I'll also get the funnies, so its a win win. David is excited about the concept of waking up early (loves this on the weekends, why??) and walking out to get the paper and sit and read it all day. As my mom says, "Youre marrying your father".

So, I will report back and we will see how I do. All I know is that it would be a good habit to get into and beneficial for the future when we have little rugrats running around, instead of just kittens.

wedding, wedding, and more wedding

So, we've been a little busy planning a wedding and all that goes along with it. As well as the holidays and some new kittens.

Here are some pictures of the kittens when we got them. They were only 4 weeks old. And now they are 5 months old and every bit still kittens.

They love to cuddle.

And here is one of the big projects David and I have been working on lately. A craft project. Yes, it is true we are doing crafts. The whole idea came about when I was thinking about the colors of the wedding. Charcoal grey and chartreuse green. Green is my favorite color so it was only natural. There has been an unbelieveable amount of searching for the perfect linens, napkins, and therefore table decor... which leads us to this project. Wine bottle candles.

Basically everyone we know is contributing. Every week I am handed usually 20-25 bottles from friends, family, and co-workers. We are up to about 100 bottles. The process however is somewhat lengthy.

Before ever doing anything to the bottles, you have to get the labels off. At first the thought was to leave them completely intact and insert a wick and pour wax in from the top. No one understood me when I tried to explain it. But then my dear friend Kathy told me about her cool bottle cutter she had just gotten, and said I could maybe cut the tops off of them. So I got my own bottle cutter and did just that. So, we've been cutting tops off of all these wine bottles. The bottle cutter only scores the bottle. The cutting actually happens when you hold the score over a flame or heat source until pretty hot, and then immediately dunk the bottle into ice water. The pressure makes the cut go all the way through and there you go.

But then youre not done. The cut leaves a really sharp edge that we needed to make round. So we went to David's dad's shop and used the belt sander to grind down the edges. But then the edges are kind of white because of the grind into the glass.

And instead of tediously spending time "polishing" the bottle edge, my dad had a GRAND idea. Just dip the edge in polyurethane to seal the chalky finish and it would be nice and glossy like the side of the bottle. So that's what we did.

So here are the bottles ready for the actual candle part. Btw... all green, no clear ;)

We hot glued the wicks to the bottom.

Then melted the wax. Little by little we will get through the 80 lbs I ordered...

And here is the final product.

We still have a lot to go, but its fun and I know it will be pretty and neat at our wedding to have something that we actually made.

So for now, thats whats been going on. And, although its a joyful season with lots of family time, I am really ready for a new year and to clean my head and home of clutter!

our newest addition

As I see it, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

My whole life I've been watching her. My mom. She's been teaching me the rules of the road. This didn't just appear in my repertoire, this design thing. It is innate, because I've seen it in all the houses we ever lived in, in all the parties we've ever thrown, in all the moments we try to make great for our family and friends. She is more than half the reason I am the way I am.

So when I walked into this magical place that she and my dad created, I wasn't surprised. I've done this too. Plan, organize, plan, make notes, plan, visit, talk, and more planning. 63 boxes and a whole slew of other, well... stuff had accumulated over the past 6 months. And this weekend was d-day. We moved into the beach house.

On Friday night two burly movers hauled everything up at least one, sometimes two flights of stairs. And then it started. We went crazy. For three days we unpacked, put beds together, waited for more stuff from delivery men on Saturday (even more planning ahead), had some drinks along the way, and all in all had a blast completing the vision of John and Reanie.

(NOTE: All the while, there was no cable. We listened to the UT game on the radio, looked at our phones very little, never noticing what was creeping up on us... Hermine. Everything is fine though. David and I and Joanie and David left Monday, while Reanie and John had to wait out Time Warner Cable for their 5 hour window on Tuesday... typical. And then left shortly after.)

Without further adieu, here is the Marchand Family beach house.

Mom's sailboat. The whole basis for the shelving wall.

The details.

Master Bedroom.

Guest Bedroom 1

Guest Bedroom 2.

Kid's Bedroom.

2nd floor deck.

Boardwalk to the beach.

fun find!

So, as I am perusing the internets for all things chic and fun for our wedding, I came across an old friend... Urban Outfitters. Now, when I was in college, we all LOVED "Urban". They had all kinds of neat stuff you hadn't ever seen before, and sometimes you would find that your bff had bought the exact same top you had for that Date Dash party on Thursday night. Bummer, but still great stuff.

So, today, I came across them again. I knew they had "apartment" furniture, but it was always very basic, plastic, and somewhat temporary... perfect for college living.

But now they have some super amazing finds. As shown below with their prices...

www.urbanoutfitters.com

Table $148

Headboard $348

Chair $288

Fainting Sofa $578

Layered Table $78

4x6 Rug $48

Letters $10 each

So, there you have it. All my wants from Urban. Plus, I found some steals for the wedding too.

Reba and Dolly

David and I adopted two kittens last Sunday. And let me tell you, this isn't just cuddles and kisses. This is full time mommie action. They were only 4 weeks old when we got them, so... milk reinforcements were needed. So yes, please imagine David and I mixing formula for our new little babies. For the first two days we had to bottle feed them b/c they didn't realize what it was in a bowl. And of course, our luck, one of them chewed off and swallowed the little nipple of the bottle. Reba's fine though.

I took them to the vet last week, and they tested negative for all that bad stuff, need to gain 1 more lb to their already 1lb a piece to be able to have flea killer put on them, and got a de-wormer. All in all a great report from the vet.

As of today, they are starting to gain interest in the canned soft food... which smells horrible, and looks even worse.

Here are Reba and Dolly. Dolly is on the left and Reba is on the right. 1st day in their new home.

David's chest is just so wide that it is a perfect place for them to sleep together.

In their bed.

Reba.



Dolly.

They are super fun, but a handful. One of them doesn't know the concept of litter box yet, so were working on that as well as doing a lot of cleaning and laundry ;)

all the good things

After our whirlwind engagement trip even more good things came about.


1. David's house got an offer and went under contract!

2. I found out I passed the NCIDQ.

3. My best friend Carrie was getting married that next weekend.

4. We picked a date and a venue! May 21, 2011 at Wild Onion Ranch.

Needless to say we feel very lucky. David closes on the sale of the house on Friday. Wedding plans are under way. Dress shopping comes in a couple of weeks when my bff Morgan comes in from Albuquerque!

And now its time to start doing new stuff to the Gardenridge Hollow house. There are plans for the backyard, front deck, exterior paint, interior paint and the garage!

our engagement story

It was my birthday, and we were on our way to Albuquerque to celebrate with my best friend Morgan and her husband Michael. We arrived Friday and had a wonderful dinner at the base of San Dia Peak. We watched the sunset as a storm was rolling in.

I had hoped it would happen while we were there. With my best friend there to celebrate with us. But it seemed to me a logistical nightmare. Traveling out of state with a diamond ring in your pocket... not knowing the town you were going to... I didn't even think he had bought the ring yet. Goes to show you he had thrown me off, as well as everyone who had already known the week before.

Friday was not the night it was going to happen. I was exhausted from our trip, and we lost money at the blackjack table at the casino nearby. So we hit the hay and Saturday was a new day.

Saturday we woke up and went to Santa Fe. We stopped at this amazing antique store with all kinds of architectural pieces stocked in their building. Doors, arches, columns, all moorish/spanish/ancient looking. But sooo beautiful. David and I decided to come back, 5, 10, 15 years from now to snag some pieces for our dream house.

We then went towards the main square where we shopped around for a little bit and the stopped into a little bar for some beers and some World Cup watching. I remember when we were walking around, David's hands were so cold when I'd try to hold them. He just blamed it on bad circulation... despite it was 85 degrees that day.

After drinks we split up before going to lunch. David and Michael went to a nearby boot store, and Morgan and I went to look for jewelry at the sidewalk where all the Native American ladies were selling their items. I had been talking about wanting a small turqoise ring. I didn't find anything by the time we got down the line, and Morgan and I went to the hotel at the end of the row to cool off. At that point David had met up with us, and said he would buy me some turquoise jewelry and that we should go back and look some more.

At that point Morgan and Michael, already knowing what was going on, realized it was time to go get the car and leave us be. So David and I went back down the line looking at jewelry. I wasn't paying attention to him really, mainly just talking about what I did and didn't like about certain pieces. After about the 3rd time of getting up off my knees looking, I stood up and looked at David to say I was ready to go.

Then he said, "Well I found a jewelry store earlier next to the boot store, and I think I found something you might like." At this point I still don't know whats going on, I really think he went and got me a cute little turqoise ring. But then out of the corner of my eye, I don't see a chunky thick blue turqoise ring, I see a dainty little shiny thing in his hand. He got down on one knee in front of everyone in the square and proposed right there. It was the most amazing moment of our lives. I couldn't stop holding his face and kissing him. And all the little ladies were clapping and random people came up to us and said congratulations.

Our little spot where it all happened.

Then we went and had a marvelous lunch at The Pink Adobe. We had champagne and a great desert plate!

With our sweet friends!

Outside The Pink Adobe. Engaged.

A vew of the mountains right outside of the Grimm's house. A beautiful weekend with so many memories.